Tekirdağ's digital trade potential
Tekirdağ is the industrial centre of Thrace and one of Türkiye's largest exporting provinces; annual exports exceed ten billion dollars and the province sits in the top five for exports. Its closeness to İstanbul and to the European land border makes the city a strategic base for production and logistics.
The heart of that industry is the organised industrial zones: Çerkezköy OSB, with around 300 companies, tens of thousands of employees and exports worth billions of dollars, is one of the largest OSBs in Europe. Çorlu is strong in textiles and food; the province has dozens of OSBs and a specialised leather zone in operation.
The sector mix is varied and high value-added: textiles and apparel, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, rubber and plastics, electronics and automotive supply stand out. A significant share of the companies are foreign-owned or export-focused; most of what they make goes to EU countries, the Turkic republics and the United States.
Logistics infrastructure is strong: Tekirdağ has three international ports, Asyaport foremost among them. Asyaport is one of Türkiye's largest container ports, which gives manufacturers in the region direct, fast export access.
Thrace's agriculture is strong too: as the centre of sunflower production the city is regarded as Türkiye's oil store; wheat, rice and viticulture are also widespread. Şarköy winemaking, Tekirdağ rakı and Tekirdağ köfte hold separate potential for the city's gastronomy and beverage brands.
Despite this strong industrial base, many companies remain contract manufacturers; a brand of their own, a multilingual corporate site and a direct buyer relationship are missing. Production meets European standards, but digital visibility usually lags behind that quality. A well-built B2B digital presence can turn a contract manufacturing relationship into a direct and more profitable export one.